Aon appoints Brian Cochrane as chief commercial officer for new ventures group

Re/insurance broker Aon has named Brian Cochrane as chief commercial officer for its new ventures group, which comprises of a team of senior executives including CEO Greg Case.

The new ventures group (NVG) was formed in October 2018 as part of Aon's 'United growth strategy'. It focuses on the "rapid incubation" and delivery of new "high-impact" products to its clients, the company said.

Aon said the new ventures group will now formally sponsor the firm’s intellectual property solutions (IPS) to help manage clients’ intangible assets and expand the marketplace.

Cochrane will be responsible for assessing the commercial feasibility of new solutions and collaborating with Aon’s operating committee to ensure successful go-to-market for newly developed capabilities for clients.

Cochrane was previously Aon’s executive vice president and global leader of M&A and transaction solutions; he will continue to oversee the unit as executive chairman.  

Aon has developed a set of consulting, valuation and risk transfer offerings to help clients identify and manage risks surrounding intellectual property.

The company's intellectual property solutions team is led by CEO Lewis Lee, founder of 601West, the IP consulting business within his former law firm, and president Dennis Gaughan, who has ten years of experience with Aon’s M&A and transactions solutions team.  

The intellectual property team will work closely with Cochrane, CIO Tony Goland, and the full NVG team to accelerate development and go-to-market of their initial offerings.

"This approach is enabling Aon to go ‘bigger and faster’, driving growth-stage opportunities that have the potential to deliver meaningful value to clients,” said Cochrane.

“This is a very exciting era for the firm as the NVG seeks to identify and develop new, high-impact sources of value for Aon’s clients; accelerate our ability to scale these high-impact solutions; and meaningfully contribute to Aon’s growth and performance," he said.

Goland, chief innovation officer and overall NVG leader, commented: “We have long recognised there is a critical need to innovate at scale on behalf of clients and create new opportunities for growth. The NVG has already made important strides in this regard, and we are excited Brian has joined the team as Chief Commercial Officer, with a current primary focus on our Intellectual Property Solutions.”

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